


A Moment

by Pop_Culture_Salad



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, One Shot, Romance, Short & Sweet, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-01
Updated: 2014-12-01
Packaged: 2018-02-27 16:48:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2700191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pop_Culture_Salad/pseuds/Pop_Culture_Salad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Had Beth never been shot, a peek at the evening I wish Beth and Daryl (and family) would have had.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Moment

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally going to be a series of one-shots, but I'm honestly still too upset about Coda that I can't bring myself to continue it. This was written a few hours after that terrible episode. It was therapeutic for me then.

Beth woke with a start, gasping as she reached out and felt the cold ground below her. The night was chilly and the sky was clear, a perfect crescent moon surrounded by a sea of stars.

“Shhh, I gotcha” she felt strong arms wrap around her torso and pull her back gently. The fear immediately left her, though her heart was still drumming, not realizing yet that she had woken up. Daryl nuzzled her neck as she reached back to make sure he was really there, ruffling his hair before she brought her hand back to rest on top of his.

Convinced it was all real, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, grounding herself in the moment, feeling his cool body pressing firmly against hers.

“A nightmare?” He asked quietly. Beth shook her head.

“Just give me a moment” she whispered back, taking more deep breaths, sweeping her hands across his.

There was no way for any of them to know exactly where they were at the moment; the group had just stumbled upon this place like they always did. A makeshift camp in the middle of a forest, surrounded by trees that had been cut down and left there years ago. It was currently making a perfect resting place for the night. The angle of the fallen trees made it easy for them to hide and protected them from the cold. It was perfect and just what they needed.

Despite her nightmare, Beth was happy. She was safe, she was with her family, she was with her friends.  All was good.

She had Daryl next to her, holding her tight, chasing all the ugliness away. She had her sister and brother-in-law sleeping a few sleeping bags away, who would be at her side in an instant. She had her friends Rick, Carl, and Michonne, quietly tucked in their own piece of the forest nearby. She had Sasha and Tyreese, who had insisted on staying up for the entire watch, although there was no need tonight. They were all safe. For tonight, they were safe.

She had her mentor, Carol, safe and sound, and finally getting the rest she needed after the hell she’d been through. She heard Judith cooing somewhere in the distance, Rick speaking to her in hushed tones. She had Judy. She had everyone.

“Okay, I’m good now.” She whispered as she turned her body towards Daryl, nuzzling her face on his chest, trying to get as close to him as possible.

“Yeah?” He ran his hands up and down her back as she nodded in his chest. “Yeah” she responded, closing her eyes again. They lay like that for a few minutes, feeling the warmth and strength of each other.

“Daryl?”

“Hm?”

“I’m glad we’re here.”

She looked up at him from her position on his chest as he pulled back a little to look down at her.

“All of us” she clarified as she smiled.

He returned her smile and leaned down to press his lips on hers. She returned it without hesitancy, feeling their lips move softly against each other. Their kiss was chaste and shy, both still getting used to their new level of intimacy. He brought his hands up from her back to frame her face as he slowly pulled away; using his thumbs to brush away the hair from her face. She gave him a toothy grin before kissing him quickly on the lips and bringing her face to his chest again. He brought his nose to her hair and inhaled deep before rolling on his back, softly pulling Beth next to him. She settled her head on the crook of his neck, fanning her hands on his chest as his hands went to her hair, playing with the ponytail he had come to miss.

“So what’s the plan for tomorrow?” She asked, drawing circles on his chest with her fingers.

“Dunno,” he responded, kissing the top of her head. “Probably same as every other day. Huntin’. Fightin’. Survivin’.”

“I can’t wait.”

“Me neither” he brought his left hand and placed it on top of hers, causing her doodling to stop. They turned their hands and interlocked their fingers, much like they had a long time ago.

“You best get some sleep now,” Daryl said as he rested his cheek on her hair. “Don’t know if you remember, but we do a lot of walkin’ here.”

Beth giggled as she took a deep breath, letting her eyes close again as she rested on Daryl.

“I remember” she said, feeling the pull of sleep “you’ll walk with me?”

“Always” he promised.

 

 


End file.
